About Us

We are tourism and marketing specialists…but we get asked to do many other types of work…so our role has expanded and we wear a few hats!

We work with a variety of different groups in the North

Businesses
Business Associations
Trusts
Community Groups
Government Organisations

We are very passionate about Northland and the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with this region, we are very keen to be involved in any ongoing projects that will increase awareness and encourage future opportunities for our region as well as businesses and organisations within it.

We are really proud of the relationships and contacts we have built up over the past 21 years, based on integrity, good working practices and results. What you get is personalised service from our team and carefully selected partners, in all areas of Marketing and PR.

We have been involved in the Cruise Industry for the past 12 years, and have managed the welcome for the cruise ship passengers to the Bay of Islands with local ambassadors. More recently we started working with MPI and local tangata whenua to enable people from local hapu to work as ambassadors at the cruise ships providing information on bio security. Seeing the results from this bio-security collaboration has been a highlight of the past year. Take a look here.

We have been event organisers for the past 20 years, and create a professional, seamless event management service, using our business management, marketing and organisational skills to envision, plan and execute social and business events. In the last 4 years we have decreased the amount of events we manage to only a few a year. We have also taken on a joint role with Unforgettable Fun as Event Co-ordinators for the Bay of Islands – this exciting role aims to bring new events into the region, and provide assistance to existing event organisers.

Our overall aim is to work collaboratively with clients and partners to ensure we achieve their goals. We put in 110% and have a lot of fun along the way.

Ha aha te mea nui o tēnēi ao?

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

Meet the Team

anika

Anika Whapshott

Managing Director
About Anika

Anika has 23 years experience in sales and marketing within the tourism industry. She has been based in the Bay of Islands for 21 years.

After graduating university in the UK with a Bsc Hons (Marketing) she followed her passion for travel and spent a year in Africa, rode a motorbike around Australia and hitchhiked to the Bay of Islands where she fell in love with outdoor lifestyle, the temperature and the people!

She worked for 4 years with Fullers Bay of Islands her last position was International Marketing and Sales Manager for Awesome Adventures Bay of Islands and Awesome Adventures Fiji.

Anika lives in Kerikeri and has 2 children who have grown up with the company, Emily 19 and Zac 17.

Anika has been a director and partner of Blah Blah marketing and Events for 21 years and is fully involved and hands on within the company.

steph

Steph Godsiff

Managing Director
About Steph

Steph grew up in Hawkes Bay and went to Massey University and graduated with a degree in Psychology and a diploma in Business Management. Following that she spent 12 years in NZ, London and Europe working for large Corporations in project management, project administration and training roles specialising in product development, IT projects and risk assessment.

One of Steph’s passions is travel and she cycled the length of Central and South America, joined the masses travelling around Europe and took any opportunity to scuba dive whenever she could! Moving out of the corporate world, Steph went to work as a dive instructor in the Caribbean for 2 years, and on a visit back to NZ she passed through Paihia – fell in love with Northland and started working at Paihia Dive.

Steph lives in Haruru and has 2 children, Nicole 19 and Sam 16 who have grown up with Blah Blah Marketing.

Steph moved back into the consultancy world 21 years ago when she joined Blah Blah Marketing as a director, and is fully involved and hands on within the company.

heather

Heather Tyson

Graphic Design
About Heather

Heather’s hometown is Kerikeri but the desire for travel has meant she has lived in 10 different cities and road tripped the world and New Zealand until settling back down in Kerikeri to begin her design career.

After working for 11 years in print, design and signage companies in Northland she has recently moved with the family to the wild west coast in Muriwai and splits her time between windy walks, mumsville and building

Up her freelance design business. She is a independent, multi-talented designer with many years of experience developing brands and supporting collateral. She enjoys seeing a project come together and works on all types of print and digital design.

Jules

Jules Hargrove

Cruise Ship Operations, Marketing
About Jules

Jules was born and bred in the Bay of Islands and went to school in Kerikeri. After leaving school studied at Northtech Whangarei and gained a Diploma in Business Studies, before going on to train as a Comprehensive Nurse. Jules then worked in the Paediatric Ward at Base Hospital before heading to the UK, where she spent 10 years in London working in various health-related businesses.

Jules travelled around Europe and met her now husband. They settled back in the Bay of Islands, have 2 children and a successful business in Kerikeri.

Jules spends the majority of time managing the cruise ship side of Blah Blah Marketing.

Shelley